Let's start with the drinks: Desert Heat combines silver tequila, pineapple, cucumber and a hint of jalapeno for a slurpable drink that would be even better on a summer day. In fact, if I have one complaint about the cocktails, it's that most of them don't have an appropriately warming effect for a Minnesota winter night.

The Tea Garden, a perfect example, is a delicious gin-based take on a mojito, and the Cherry Blossom Fizz is a prosecco-based fruity but not too sweet drink.

The winter-appropriate exceptions are a solid old-fashioned and a Manhattan we didn't try.

Food-wise, it might be best to stick with the snacks. Besides the biscuits, the venison satay ($12), grilled at the table, was fun, though I wish the peanut sauce was a little more saucy and a little less like peanut butter.

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That the out-of-season asparagus ($12) was peeled didn't hide its stringyness, but the accompanying thick, hammy Nueske's bacon and poached egg somehow made up for it.

Among the entrees, steer clear of the pork shoulder ($22), which was tough and nearly flavorless. Otherwise, a flat-iron steak ($28) was a perfectly rosy medium-rare and was elevated by a zippy chimichurri sauce and fluffy, crispy fries. The filet mignon ($34) also was done right, but horseradish mashed potatoes and a Roquefort topping tasted like overkill. The swordfish ($26) was done perfectly and topped with a smoky guajillo butter. The short ribs ($30) were tender and satisfying.

We thoroughly enjoyed the goat cheese panna cotta ($8), which was livened up by more of the raw, local honey that comes with the biscuits. But a berry cobbler ($9) was mushy and not worth the calories.

I'd go back to Beacon on my own dime, but not until it warms up, and I'd probably make a meal of bar snacks.